Could 80 Collins be Melbourne’s new foodie hub?

The Melbourne skyline is changing and 80 Collins is one of the show-stopping designs taking shape at the ‘Paris end’ of Collins St in the CBD.

The $800 million tower includes a 43,000-square-metre office tower, a boutique hotel and 5000 square metres of retail and dining space.

Notably, it will celebrate what this city is well-known for – food and drink with hospitality heavyweights Chris Lucas, Martin Benn and Vicki Wild recently announcing they will be joining forces to launch a new eatery at 80 Collins.

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Lucas is the mastermind behind popular restaurants in Melbourne including Chin Chin and Baby Pizza while Benn and Wild were the chefs at Sydney’s Sepia.

“80 Collins is the most exciting development in Melbourne for 30 years,” says Lucas.

“It speaks of the city’s bravery and vision, it is a globally significant development. I couldn’t resist being involved. We felt it was the only backdrop worthy of Martin and Vicki’s new restaurant,” he says.

Due for completion in 2020, property developer QICGRE is behind the project along with four architectural firms. Woods Bagot, London’s Sevenths Wave, Dutch practice UN Studio and Paris’ Join Manku will be working together to realise the new build.

The existing tower will not be demolished, instead it will be extensively refurbished and in addition to the incredible dining scene, there will be top retail spaces, state of the art offices, and a “community driven area” members of the public can use for co-working.

This article originally appeared as “80 Collins is the new foodie hotspot in Melbourne”.